A sophisticated vendor matrix that measures qualitative as well as quantitative factors ranks Broadcom as the leading supplier of GPS chips worldwide.
SiRF Technology and Texas Instruments came in second and third in the GPS Integrated Circuit Manufacturer Vendor Matrix, developed by ABI Research based in Oyster Bay, New York, with results announced today (March 12, 2009).
A sophisticated vendor matrix that measures qualitative as well as quantitative factors ranks Broadcom as the leading supplier of GPS chips worldwide.
SiRF Technology and Texas Instruments came in second and third in the GPS Integrated Circuit Manufacturer Vendor Matrix, developed by ABI Research based in Oyster Bay, New York, with results announced today (March 12, 2009).
Rather than measure one or a few market metrics, such as unit or dollar volume and market share, the Vendor Matrix is designed to provide a fuller understanding of vendors’ positions in specific markets. The matrix assesses vendors endors on the key parameters of “innovation” and “implementation” across several criteria.
Broadcom ranked first in implementation and SiRF in innovation.
Under innovation, ABI Research examined design innovation, the use of evolving fabrication technology, packaging innovation, features (software/firmware, power, size), flexibility (chip packaging, OEM integration options), the vendors’ recent product introductions, and whether the ICs offer multiple radio integration.
Under implementation, the researchers evaluated companies in light of the following criteria: the ability of the design to meet performance and feature objectives, the vendors’ sourcing strategies and the strength of their supply chains, their marketing/sales strategy, structure, and recent successes, the firms’ organizational alignments and structures to support their GPS market strategy, their market presence, the effectiveness of their product strategies and strength of their product lines, their partnerships, their relative market share, and their overall organizational health
After individual scores are established for Innovation and Implementation using the these criteria, an overall company score is established using the root mean square (RMS) method and the following forumula: the square root of innovation squared plus implementation squared divided by two.
The resulting overall scores are then ranked and used for percentile comparisons.
In the opinion of ABI Research analysts, the RMS method — in comparison with a straight summation or average of individual innovation and implementation values — rewards companies for exceptional performance. For example, using this method a company with an innovation score of 9 and an implementation score of 1 would score considerably higher than a company with a score of 5 in both areas, despite the mean score being the same.
The ranking of the other top 10 spots on the GPS IC vendor matrix is as follows:
3) Texas Instruments Inc
4) Qualcomm Inc
5) STMicroelectronics
6) u-blox AG
7) Atheros Communications Inc
8) Infineon Technologies AG
9) Atmel Corporation
10) MediaTek Inc
Access to the rankings and profiles of all companies surveyed is available to clients of ABI Research. Details can be found on the company website.
